The online support is open to transfer students who have earned at least 60 credit hours. “UCF is the largest transfer-receiving institution in the country,” says Jones, admitting about 7,000 students a year through its Direct Connect program and about another 4,000 transfers a year through other channels. “There are a lot of people doing online learning, but very few are specifically targeting their transfer population. We are and that sets us apart.”
In addition to transfer students who have an AA degree, online students are often working adults who were limited in their ability to continue their classroom education.
Becoming a success coach
Success coaches undergo intensive training before hooking up with students. In 2018, UCF added advanced coaching methodologies and built enhanced technologies to support online students. The college is also developing a coaching academy where people from other universities can come to UCF and get trained as coaches.
To improve the lives of online students, Jones offers these suggestions:
- Start with student feedback. Conduct some student surveys to ask students what they want and what works for them; that will result in a more focused strategy.
- Customize your coaching. Find out about the unique circumstances of each student so that success coaches can individualize and personalize their approach, instead of a rigid transactional method.
- Try something new. Don’t be afraid to walk away from traditional forms of student advising and come up with new ways to deal with student needs.
“Much of what we’re doing right now is a response to market demand. Students want the convenience, flexibility, and relative low-cost/high-value proposition that many of us are offering. To not get in this game or to do it as a hobby is very short-sighted,” says Jones.
Robert Lerose is a New York-based freelance writer. He received the APEX Grand Award and seven Awards For Publication Excellence for his journalism. He was the 2004 winner of the Great American Think-Off, a philosophy competition open to the public.
- 5 leadership priorities to become AI-ready - October 9, 2026
- Learner agency comes first in AI-driven digital literacy - October 7, 2026
- Authority, responsibility, and accountability for AI in higher ed - October 5, 2026